As my foray into singledom continues and my attempt to turn my "house that crack built" into a home for myself and my family, I dig my heels deep into what has served me well over the years, PURE STUBBORNNESS. Yes, stubbornness, cause Lord knows I could be a lot further along in the repair business if I did not insist on doing things my way.
There is a series by Sarah Graves that I like to read. It is titled "Home Repair is Homicide". The repairs that she does to her Federal style house are way out of my league in terms of scale and talent. However, the very real fact that my house was built by crack heads (see previous posts for proof of this) and that I am doing the repairs when I have no talent, money or time are proof enough that I am involved in my very own version of Sarah Graves novels.
When you are a single woman and are working on your own home, you have several options to get things done:
Hire someone (this method works as long as you have money to pay said repair person)
Ask a friend for help (this option has served me well over and over and I am grateful the Lord has seen fit to bless me with the friends He has)
Do it yourself (ahhh.... this is the option that I go for as often as I can, with mixed results)
Don't do anything and let it continue to fall apart (this is how I got stuck with so much work in the first place but hey, it builds character)
I have a good friend who I call when I am contemplating some purchase or repair that is outside my skill set. Recently the conversation turned to the element in my oven needing to be replaced. He asked if I could have my ex boyfriend or my ex brother in law put the new one in since there is some wiring involved. I got slightly offended that he did not think I could handle the job. In his defense, he has known me for about fifteen years and is quite aware of my limitations around wiring, plumbing, automotives and lawnmowers. So my taking offense lasted oh all of five seconds. My response to his blatant assumption that I may be better off having someone with knowledge or hell, even a better set of tools (and that is not a euphemism for what is between a male's legs) install the element was an indignant "I don't want to have a man fix something every time something breaks in my home. I am perfectly capable of figuring it out on my own, looking the instructions up on the internet or hell, even YouTubing (and yes it is now a verb) it". He soothed my ruffled feathers and wished me luck.
Doing things myself: I have wired my thermostat after it was taken down for the professional help to put the sheetrock up. I did this by pulling the schematics up on the internet and connecting wires as shown. I have replaced outlets with only minor shocks. I can unclog drains (this skill came after my ex husband got tired of unclogging the Upipe under the sink after I had poured grease down it over and over. He finally had enough and told me I was on my own to get it unclogged. Tough love. Gotta love it.) I fixed the locking mechanism on my front load washing machine after I broke it slamming the door shut after putting a queen size comforter in it (they don't fit). Again, I looked up online how to replace the part after I bought it. I have even stopped leaking pipes, jerry rigged my son's bed and put up light fixtures (this I do not like doing at all). Every time I accomplish something on my own, I get excited and thrilled. I am not dependant on a man!!! No one in the world knows how much this means to me. The very real independence that I get from being able to accomplish a task on my own or with minimal help is thrilling to me.
When I walk into my home, I am walking in to my sanctuary. I look around at all the changes I have made in the last two years. I love it. I am content and happy at the choices I have made. The paint colors, the designs... Every part I had a hand in I am pleased with. There is a very real sense of satisfaction when you are successful in your endeavors. I take pride in my surroundings and my home is a testament to all that I have endured and all the hard work I have done in the last two years and I am in love with it.
Working on my home has taught me several things... patience, prioritizing, praising God, skill, and most important of all: I can accomplish something when I set my mind to it.
Next up for my home: light fixtures up, new faucet in the kitchen, new smoke detectors, and repair some sheet rock. That should be done in next week or so. After that, I hope to get the trim put up and a window replaced.
The house that crack built is becoming the home that Saundra Chavis made... It is fun and it is frustrating but it is all MINE.
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